Boarding the Gem was a pretty easy process; although there was a long line for Latitudes members and absolutely no line for non-Latitude members. Not one single NCL agent in the other area made any attempt to call those of us in the Latitude line over to help us. I found my cabin with ease but when I opened the closet door there was trash on the floor and every single wooden hangar with on the floor as well. I was disappointed to have had to clean up before even leaving on the cruise. I was traveling alone and had an "obstructed view" cabin on Deck 8. I chose this category on purpose as I like the location. The cabin was small, but it was fine for one person. The life boat drill was the most organized and smoothest operation I've ever experienced.

As a person traveling alone, NCL has always treated me like I was the most important person on the ship. Sadly, not on the Norwegian Gem. On two occasions I had to get a manager as servers walked right past me to wait on groups or couples. This happened consistently in the bars and in the restaurants. There were many times I felt invisible. My cabin was never made up before 2:00 PM even though the "make up cabin" sign was visible.

It is difficult not to compare the Gem to her sister ship, the Pearl. Many of the staff from the Pearl transferred to the Gem. However, there still were not enough staff, especially in the Grand Pacific dining room. The room was large, beautiful and decorated in a dark high-seas theme. The serving staff were always visibly harried. Service was painfully slow. In Magenta, a smaller non-cover restaurant, the atmosphere was much more relaxed. The specialty restaurants were "okay". The Blue Lagoon which is open 24 hours was a good respite from the craziness of the other restaurants, despite the limited menu. I enjoyed macaroni and cheese and some chicken fingers one night at midnight. Read more